That's just crazy. And they look to be in such nice box condition. No way those could have been made available to kids! Unless is just says something about discipline of children in the USA versus abroad. I know MY kids woulda ripped those boxes to shreds.

Notice the LOCKS on those cabinets. No kid is playing with those. Much like much of North Korea that the public gets to see, this is likely a staged area that is prettied up for foreigners to see. They were likely placed there in the 80s and never removed, aside from cleaning.

I've always wondered about NK toys. If the S korean bootlegs are as crazy as they were, were there original NK bootleg toys? there MUST be...

Oh I'm in for sure. I'm totally fascinated by the Korean toy machine, the good, bad and fugly. I've wondered the exact same thing Josh. Seems like everyone is getting money to do stupid shit on Kickstarter, so maybe we could get funded to all travel to North Korea as toy ambassadors.

JoshB Wrote:
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> Notice the LOCKS on those cabinets. No kid is
> playing with those. Much like much of North Korea
> that the public gets to see, this is likely a
> staged area that is prettied up for foreigners to
> see. They were likely placed there in the 80s and
> never removed, aside from cleaning.

From what I've read so far, this is almost 100% the case. It's almost assured the entire school is staged.

There are no toys in NK, unless you count the oddly carved potatobot and Kim the Great Leader sofubi (transforms into his son when you remove the masked helmet).
Outside of 3rd rate munitions and unisex textiles, NK has no industry. It's the poorest nation in Asia. Any gokin in the photo is some sort or ersatz propaganda to distract from the truth. The only authentic gokin in NK is that vintage steel shovel.
Seoul, on the other hand, manufactured some wild bootleg shit in the 70s and 80s. I've been there a few times: you can go to the outskirts of tongdaemun district and visit the toy wholesalers. I once saw a stack of old, boxed gatchaman ripoff toys:30 years old, still unsold. Lots of weird maz/tranzor/taegwon5 stuff floating around...tetsuwan atom as well...

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Matthewalt &quot;I actually kinda LIKE that approach! You know: let's make a TOY. Remember those? Products designed to be played with without breaking? DO YOU REMEMBER, LOVE?!&quot;

Seriously, the Magnetic Dougram is the most 'toyetic' of any rendition, and a ton of fun. When I'm looking for a Dougram to grab off the shelf and play with, it's the obvious choice. Gorgeous window and art box, as well.

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Matthewalt &quot;I actually kinda LIKE that approach! You know: let's make a TOY. Remember those? Products designed to be played with without breaking? DO YOU REMEMBER, LOVE?!&quot;

That's Belgas V5, a custom jumbo I got off a dude from RJ a few years back. I was gonna bring it and the other two to sell/trade, but forgot them.

I'm not even sure about the Space. I got it from Alen. It lights up and I think is supposed to have a remote control feature or something. I just love that it fits right on that old M1 base that I'd been trying to get rid of for years!